Ashes in the Wind
by Hidden Rambling
Summary: As a high ranking kunoichi Sakura needs to obtain permission to marry Sasuke and finally have her childhood dream, luckily she knows someone that won't deny her application to wed the former nuke-nin.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, please support the official release.

The three members of the recently reunited team seven were gathered at the training grounds where they had become official genin so many years ago.

With the sun shining brightly, it's warm light reflecting upon the surface of the nearby lake, the wind blowing cool and gently around them the weather scene was very picturesque.

Despite this Sakura Haruno was very a nervous kunoichi since this gathering was because Sasuke had asked for her to marry him. It was a dream come true for her when he had asked two days ago, even if it wasn't at the end of a romantic evening where the last Uchiha wined and dined her. Instead, it was while she was examining the stump of his amputated arm, checking that it was healing okay.

Still, she had said yes almost instantly and Sasuke has given her a ring and the application for a marriage request.

Since she was a high ranking member of Konoha's military she needed to obtain permission to marry, especially since the individual she wanted to wed was classified as a restricted civilian.

Sasuke's status was the punishment Tsunade and handed down for his desertion and the multiple attacks against Konoha and its allies, the renowned medic had considered the punishment a lenient one despite the man's protests that his actions during the end of the war should have absolved him and cleared his name.

"Those actions are the only reason I'm not ordering you sent to prison as the law demands," she had snapped at him when he disputed the decision.

The result was that Sasuke had an ANBU escort at all times even though his chakra had been sealed, and he was forbidden from leaving the village as well, and any correspondence he wished to send or receive had to pass by her desk first, so that she could verify the contents.

For Sakura that meant being given restricted ninja status and having her own chakra sealed unless she was sent on a mission and giving up her position at the hospital and finding other work that didn't require chakra use.

This would be a major blow to Konoha's military resources since as a medical kunoichi Sakura's skills were second only to Tsunade.

But the young medic was willing to give up her promising career for Sasuke, she had already given up so much in the years spent trying to get him back. Naruto hadn't been aware of it at the time, but they had both been denied promotions because of their insistence on getting Sasuke back.

Jiriaya had submitted requests for a field promotion for Naruto multiple times over the two years they were gone on the training trip, with each having been denied by the council.

Her own promotion to chunin just months before Naruto returned from that trip had only been granted because Tsunade had traded several political favors and approved measures that she otherwise would have opposed.

Danzo being allowed to have Sai placed on their team being one of them.

Getting approval for marriage to Sasuke would not typically be an easy endeavor for her, but there was one person that would approve it, Naruto Uzumaki, their blonde teammate was Hokage in all but name, capable of carrying out the duties and powers of the office with the same level of authority that Tsunade held.

But when she had approached the man with the application he told her he needed to be sure of Sasuke's intentions towards her, initially she had rolled her eyes expecting the idiot to challenge Sasuke for his approval, but then he explained what he intended to do and that's what made her nervous.

"Sakura asked me to approve your marriage request," Naruto spoke as he waved the folder holding the application about.

"What's stopping you dobe?" Sasuke smirked, "Do you think if you deny it then she'll choose you instead?"

A poor choice of words really, throwing the fact that the woman in question had repeatedly chosen Sasuke over Naruto when the whole marriage was dependent on his approval.

Personally, Naruto found that fact ironic.

"I'll approve the request on one condition," Naruto told him, "Sakura gave up a lot to get you back, and she'll have to give up even more to marry you."

The other man scowled, "Just come out with it already Naruto!"

"Alright fine, you want to marry her then you'll need to prove that it's because you actually care about her and not because she's convenient and willing to put up with your shit after everything you've done just so you can restore the Uchiha clan."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that?!" He growled out angrily.

Naruto shrugged, "Simple, she doesn't take your name, you take hers, the Uchiha name and clan ends with you."

This is what made Sakura nervous, she honestly wasn't sure if Sasuke would choose her over his clans legacy, no matter how tarnished it was.

Did he want a family with her, or was she just meant to be a broodmare to restore his clan?

The Uchiha clan may have been tarnished, but the chance existed that it could be restored and its seat on the council be returned, maybe not for Sasuke but possibly for his children or grandchildren.

On the other hand the Haruno clan was a civilian merchant clan, and a minor one at that. They held no seat within the council, instead the Akimichi clan was their patron and any issues or requests were sent to them first before making it to the council, that was of course if the Akimichi felt it warranted the council's attention.

Taking her name meant giving up one of his lifelong goals, restoring the Uchiha to its former glory.

Sasuke scoffed, "Very well," he said and Sakura felt her heart sore, he had chosen her she thought to herself.

But then her heart dropped when he turned to walk away.

"S-Sasuke?"

"What? Do you honestly think I'll give up my name after I've spent my life avenging my clan?" He sneered contemptuously at her, "I'll find someone else to restore my clan with."

"Wait!" She yelled out to him and ran up to him.

"Don't waste your breath trying to change my mind Sakura."

"I'm not," she shook her head, "I had hoped that knowing everything I gave up for you, every opportunity, every friend, even my career would mean something to you, that you'd be willing to do the same for me, but I guess Sasuke Uchiha will only ever care about himself."

Reaching up she took hold of the necklace around her neck and yanked it, snapping the chain with ease.

"You know Naruto told me what his condition for approving the application was," she continued, "And he also told me that he wouldn't actually do it."

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, "What?"

"Naruto wanted to be sure that you'd be willing to give up just as much for me as I had for you, but he never would have made you give up the Uchiha name, not really."

Holding up the necklace she held it out to him, "Here," she said, the ring he had given her hanging from it, "I don't want this."

The scowl returned as Sasuke snatched the offending item from her and left without another word.

She watched him disappear as Naruto stepped up beside her, "Sorry Sakura," he said after a moment.

Sakura exhaled slowly, she hadn't realized she was even holding her breath, "Don't be," she told him as she regarded him with a bittersweet smile, " I knew, a part of me knew what choice he'd make, but I wanted to believe that he'd come to care for me, maybe even loved me."

"So thank you," she turned to face him fully, "Thank you for looking out me."

Waving her off, not even realizing that he was doing so with the application, "Don't sweat it Sakura, we're teammates, I'll always have your back."

"Give that to me," she gestured to the document and Naruto handed it over with a questioning look.

"This represents the last several years of my life chasing a childish dream," Sakura said firmly as she channeled her chakra for a minor fire technique meant for starting a camp fire, "But just because that dream fell through doesn't mean that that time was completely wasted, I've got a promising career, good friends and my whole life ahead of me!"

Together they watched as the document burned in her hand, breaking down into ashes and scattering in the wind.

"Now let's go find Lady Tsunade!" Sakura declared firmly.

"Eh? What for?"

"I just had my heart broken idiot," Sakura rolled her eyes while she took his hand and began dragging him away, "I'm not going to cry like a little girl about it but I refuse to be sober by the end of the night and I need drinking buddies, that way I don't look like a pathetic lonely drunk."

With a shake of his head Naruto let the pinkette pull him along in search of Tsunade and all the alcohol she could get her hands on.

Fin


End file.
